Kite



Feb. 5, 1963 L. J. ANDREWS KITE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 25. 1960 INVENTOR. LOUIS J. ANDREWS BY ATTORNEYS Feb. 5, 1963 L. J. ANDREWS 3,076,626

KITE

Filed Nov. 25. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N VENTOR.

LOUIS J. ANDREWS BYWVWNW ATTORNEYS United States Patent '0 "ic 3,076,626 KITE Filed Nov. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 71,555 3 Claims. (Cl. 244-154) This invention relates to the construction of a kite which is in a form resembling that of a swept-wing aero plane, which can be quickly and easily assembled, and which has superior flying qualities. The kite hereinafter described is designed to be sold in knock-down form, the parts being made so that the entire structure can be assembled without using any tool. When assembled, the parts are strongly joined so that the strength of the structure is limited only by the strength of the individual parts.

Fore a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description thereof and to the drawings, of which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the assembled kite;

FIGURE 2 is a section, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded view, on an enlarged scale, of the middle connector unit for the kite spars shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a similar view of the rear connector unit;

FIGURE 5 is a section through one arm of the middle connector unit; and

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal section of one of the ferrules.

The kite is designed to be shipped and sold in knockdown condition and to be assembled by the purchaser without the use of tools.

The kite comprises a body 10 of thin, light-weight flexible sheet material such as paper or a film of a polyethylene terephthalate resin known as Mylar. The body is cut to a contour resembling a swept-wing aeroplane, being elongated with a tapering forward portion 12, two rearwardly oblique wing portions 14, 16 extending from the mid portion of the body 10, and a fish-tail at the trailing end of the body consisting of rearwardly oblique extensions 18, 20. At the nose or forward tip of the body is a flat piece 22 of metal to reinforce the nose and to serve as ballast. This metal piece may conveniently be stamped from a sheet. At the tips of the wings and fishtail are reinforcing pieces 24, 26, 28, 30 of tough paper or thin cardboard. These are shaped to the contours of the respective tips and are adhesively secured to the tips. The body may also be further reinforced at the edges where the wings and fish-tail join the axial portion of the body as at 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, by thin strips cemented to the margin of the body 10.

To hold the body in shape, a skeletal frame is arranged upon it, this frame consisting of a longitudinal spar which is in two aligned pieces 44, 46, wing spars 48, 50, and tail spars 52, 54. These spars are preferably of a light, strong wood such as basswood and are square in cross section. One end of each spar is slotted as at 56 (FIGURE 2) to receive an edge of the counter-weight 22 or one of the reinforcements 24, 26, 28, 30, a small hole 58 being provided in the body at the weight 22 and at each of the reinforcements so that the slotted ends of the spars can be pushed into engagement with the weight and reinforcements.

The several spars are held in assembled relation by two fittings 60, 62. The forward fitting 60 grips an end of the spars 44, 46, 48, 50 while the rear fitting grips an end of the spars 46, 52, 54. These fittings are preferably molded of high-impact styrene. The fitting 60 has four radiating arms 64, 66, 68, 70, each of which is slotted at its end forming two parallel fingers 72 adapted to grip an end 3,976,Z6 Patented Feb. 5, 1968 portion of one of the spars. The arms 64, 66 are aligned to grip ends of the longitudinal spars 44, 46 and to hold them in alignment. The arms 68, 70 extend. at oblique angles so as to hold the wing spars 48, 50 in line with the respective wings 14, 16. Since the spars which extend out to the tips of the body members must have their end slots 56 horizontal,'each spar is provided with a colored area 74 on one face near the end to be gripped by a fitting. For each of the arms of the fittings 60, 62 a ferrule or sleeve is provided to fit over the slotted end of the arm the tips of which are preferably bevelled. The dimensions of the fingers 72 and the interior of the ferrules are such that when an end of a spar is between a pair of fingers 72 and a ferrule 80 is then pushed into place over the fingers, the inner surfaces of the fingers will be pressed firmly against side faces of the spar end between them so as to grip the spar tightly. When all of the spars have been assembled with the fittings 60, 62, the resulting skeletal frame is a rugged structure.

Each ferrule 80 is tubular with two inner longitudinal ribs 82 extending from one end of the ferrule about three quarters of the way to the other end. These ribs are diametrically opposed to each other and have parallel faces 84 which are spaced apart a distance slightly less than the thickness of a spar. The width of each face 84 is slightly less than the thickness of a spar. The inner ends of the ribs 82 are bevelled as at 8 6 so that the opposed faces 86 diverge at that point to merge with the inner surface of the tubular ferrule 80.

The rear fitting 62 differs from the forward fitting 60 in that instead of a fourth arm, it has a rearwardly extending channel 90 having parallel side walls 92 between which a tail fin 94 of some light material such as balsa wood can be frictionally held, the thickness of the fin being slightly greater than the normal spacing between the walls 92 so that the latter are slightly sprung apart when a tail fin 90 is inserted between them.

The kite is easily assembled by laying the body 10 fiat on a table, placing the several spars in their relative positions on the body 10, the colored areas 74 being up, pushing the spars 44, 48, 50, 52 and 54 outward to engage the reinforcing pieces 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 in the end slots in the spars, slipping a ferrule 80 over each of the free ends of the spars, placing the fittings 60, 62 in place with end portions of the spars in the slots in the arms of the fittings, pushing the ferrules 80 over the respective slotted arms to pinch the end portions of the spars therein, and pressing the forward part of the lower margin of the tail fin 94 into the channel 90.

A hole 96 is provided through the body 10 below the forward fitting 60 so that a kite string can be secured to this fitting. The kite is now ready to be flown.

I claim:

-1. A kite comprising a skeletal frame consisting of a two-piece longitudinal spar, a rigid fitting holding the two pieces of said spar in mutual alignment, said fitting gripping the rear end of the forward piece and the forward end of the rear piece of said longitudinal spar, two wing spars projecting obliquely from said fitting, a fitting gripping the rear end of the rear piece of said longitudinal spar, two tail spars projecting obliquely from said second fitting, a vertical fin projecting upward from said second fitting, a plane body of flexible sheet material underlying all said spars, said body having a forward end attached to the forward end of said longitudinal spar, swept-wing portions attached at their ends to the ends of respective wing spars, and a fish-tail portion having ends attached to respective tail spars, and a weight at the forward end of said body.

2. A kite comprising an elongated plane body of flexible sheet material with wings projecting obliquely from the mid portion thereof and a fish-tail at the rear end thereof, a skeletal frame upon said body, and a fin attached to said frame at right angles to said fish-tail, said frame consisting of a longitudinal spar in two aligned pieces, a fitting gripping ends of said pieces to hold them in line, two wing spars gripped at one end by said fitting and extending therefrom to the ends of the respective wings, a second fitting gripping the rear end of said longitudinal spar, and tail spars gripped by and projecting from said second fitting to the ends of said fish-tail, the gripping poi-:- tions of said fittings each consisting of a two-pronged fork with the prongs spaced to receive an end of a spar between them, and a ferrule embracing said prongs to hold them in gripping relation to the spar end between them;

3. A kite as described in claim 2, said body having a hole beneath the first said fitting through which hole a cord may be secured to said fitting whereby to fly the kite.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 605,596 Clayton June 14, 1898 1,568,319 Cogswell Jan. 5, 1926 2,023,939 Talmadge Dec. 10, 1935 2,161,921 Fritzen June 13, 1939 2,493,704 Tomczyk et a1. J an. 3, 1950 2,969,946 Andrews Jan. 31, 1961' 

1. A KITE COMPRISING A SKELETAL FRAME CONSISTING OF A TWO-PIECE LONGITUDINAL SPAR, A RIGID FITTING HOLDING THE TWO PIECES OF SAID SPAR IN MUTUAL ALIGNMENT, SAID FITTING GRIPPING THE REAR END OF THE FORWARD PIECE AND THE FORWARD END OF THE REAR PIECE OF SAID LONGITUDINAL SPAR, TWO WING SPARS PROJECTING OBLIQUELY FROM SAID FITTING, A FITTING GRIPPING THE REAR END OF THE REAR PIECE OF SAID LONGITUDINAL SPAR, TWO TAIL SPARS PROJECTING OBLIQUELY FROM SAID SECOND FITTING, A VERTICAL FIN PROJECTING UPWARD FROM SAID SECOND FITTING, A PLANE BODY OF FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL UNDERLYING ALL SAID SPARS, SAID BODY HAVING A FORWARD END ATTACHED TO THE FORWARD END OF SAID LONGITUDINAL SPAR, SWEPT-WING PORTIONS ATTACHED AT THEIR ENDS TO THE ENDS OF RESPECTIVE WING SPARS, AND A FISH-TAIL PORTION HAVING ENDS ATTACHED TO RESPECTIVE TAIL SPARS, AND A WEIGHT AT THE FORWARD END OF SAID BODY. 